Lost Half-Breed
by Writer-Girl-Since-93
Summary: Shadowhunters marry other Shadowhunters, that's how it has always been. Until Richard meet Vivian, and they had a baby, Aria; part Nephilim/part mundane. Follow her journey as she rejoins the world she's been running from since she was three years old.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"I am that merry wanderer of the night!" Stanley Tucci's voice called out, drifting from the TV set over to the couch where she sat, legs tucked up underneath herself, body curled into the corner cushions. Dressed as the fairy Puck he pranced around the screen, oblivious to the snort of derision as she pressed mute, scrolling through the remainder of the channels to find something less…fraudulent. It's not as though she didn't believe in faeries, just not the kind featured in Shakespeare's a Midsummers Night Dream. Nor any of the mythical creatures featured in television dramas; she knew too well the harsh reality that surrounded faeries, vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks and demons. Thanks to the uniqueness that was her, Aria had the lowdown on all that went bump in the night.

She frowned, switching the TV off and opening her laptop, hitting play on a random playlist as she pushed herself out of the couch and into the kitchen. Her mother would be home soon with their take-out dinner, but until then old movies were doing little to occupy the time. Grabbing bottled water from the fridge she hauled herself onto the counter, navigating her legs to balance on either of the sink as her head leaned on the cool glass window pane overlooking Miami. There was no view of the ocean or beach front that had attracted her mother and her to this city, but she could still smell that saltiness that only the ocean had to offer.

As Aria often did when her mother was out and she was alone in whatever apartment they were currently living in, she sat by the open window and breathed deeply, allowing the smells outside to soothe her. In a life that was ruled by change and movement, she had only three consistencies; the first was her mother, the second was that things would always change, and the third was the air. Whatever city or town they were residing in, Aria could always open a window and breathe. As a child it had scared her mother, she who always worried about what else might come in. As she got older her mother realized that resistance was futile, and let her be.

Turning her head to the sound of a lock opening and keys jangling she jumped off the counter, grabbing two forks and two glasses out of their respective drawers and cupboards. In walked her mother, blonde hair rumpled and disheveled from the 7 flights of stairs it took to reach their apartment without a functioning elevator. As she placed the two bags of Vietnamese food on the table she looked up at Aria, blew the hair away from her face and smiled. "Window, Aria?" She asked wry humor in her voice. "Window." She nodded and smiled back, grabbing the take-out boxes to check which was her own.

She brushed by to grab the glasses, filling them with Orangina, Aria's favorite beverage. Something about the fizzed orange drink always made her happy, and it was an indulgence, so she enjoyed whenever her mother brought it home. "What's the occasion?" She questioned, taking a big sip and grinning, her shoulders doing a little shake as she smiled, almost like she had reverted to a six year old. She really did love the stuff.

"What, can't a mother be nice to her daughter?" A kiss dropped on her check and then her mother was on the other side of the counter, pulling a large stool over on which to sit. Aria hopped back up on the counter, the food balanced on her legs and her drink a safe but still reachable distance away. "So. What brought on the sudden urge for window sitting?" Her mother smiled at her, the way only mothers can when they know something is wrong with their child.

"The TV."

"The TV?" Eyebrows went up. "That's a new one. I thought kids these days loved television. Not that you're a kid, I know, 18 means you are a legal adult with the right to vote. Not drink, but vote. What did the TV do?"

"Showed a horrible adaption of a Shakespearean play." Aria watched with amusement as the eyebrows furrowed. She could tell her mother was mentally running through a list of movie adapted plays before it clicked.

"Ah. And what else could annoy you so much other than A Midsummers Night Dream."

"Puck to be exact. I mean really? Weren't mundanes-""Humans!" She interjected. Her mother always hated the term mundane; said it was the reason she and Aria's father had to keep their relationship a secret. "Fine. Weren't humans supposed to be more aware back then? Didn't they actually know, as much as they could have, what was out there? Why did Shakespeare have to portray Puck so…stupidly?"

"I honestly don't know. I've never been the biggest fan of the Bard. But why is this upsetting you now?"

"It just got me thinking, like it always does. First about faeries, then the rest of the Downworlders. About Dad, his family. You."

"Ahhh." Her mother said, putting down her fork as Aria mimicked her. "So you've been feeling nostalgic. Was there a specific reason?"

"No." She shook her head, keeping eye contact as she reached for her drink to assure her mother she was telling the truth. And she was. She never knew why she got like this; all Aria knew was that sometimes she did. Her mother stared back with piercing green eyes, before nodding her head and picking up her fork again. "Alright." Aria grabbed her drink and they let the conversation go, her mother choosing instead to tell her about her day, as Aria told her hers.

If there was ever a woman to be given the title of Best Mother, it would be Vivian Torren; strong, witty, intelligent, but more than any of those she was a mother. As such she always put her daughter's needs before her own. Two cities ago the only apartment available to rent had one bedroom, and Vivian had given it to Aria, creatively using to curtains to corner off a section for herself. She'd said that as an adult all she really needed was a bed and place to put her clothes, but as a teenager her daughter needed space. It was because of this great love that her mother had divulged everything about her past life to Aria. While her life may not have been so different from most humans, that changed had when she met Aria's father. Part human, part angel, he had belonged to a race known as Shadowhunters; the protectors of the world from all supernatural things evil.

And Aria was his daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

When Vivian was 18 she met a boy in a park in Germany. She'd just finished high school and was exploring the world, trying to find her place in it. Just as she was inexplicably drawn to him so was he to her. With no idea of the world she was entering, Aria's mother began a relationship with him. And to her father's everlasting credit, he disavowed the laws of his people and told her mother everything. There was something about her, he'd say, that made him reckless, made him not care about the repercussions of his actions. They were together for a year before anyone found out. Her father had a younger sister, Amelia. And as younger sisters do she followed her brother and discovered his secret. But like only the best of sisters, she kept it for him. For three years after she kept the secret until she had no more need.

Two years after her parent's first meeting, and six months after their marriage Aria Torren Midwinter born. It was extremely rare for a Shadowhunter and human to be together; for a child to be born of such a union was unheard of. Aria was the first. The Clave believed that children with human and Nephilim parents would not have the required Angel blood necessary to perform their tasks. Her father had broken all the rules to be with her mother, and for a spell they were happy. Until Valentine and the Circle.

Richard was a humanitarian who strongly believed in equality, and so when the time came to battle he fought against this Circle. And although the Clave won, her father paid for his beliefs with his life.

Aria was three.

Her mother ran. She was terrified that without her father's protection, someone would come for the corrupted Nephilim child. She left a note for Amelia before getting on a plane and flying back to America.

Aria was four years old when her mother first realized she had inherited more than her father's turquoise blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. She had been playing in the park like any toddler, chatting away to the air as everyone around assumed it was an imaginary friend. She'd waved goodbye and skipped over to her mother, bouncing with excitement. She explained to her mother about the tiny pretty lady with green skin, hair made of flowers and cloves who had offered to make Aria as little as she, and give her a set of wings. "Like Thumbelina!" she'd exclaimed.

By the next day Aria had been un-enrolled at daycare, her mothers' job given up, their suitcases packed and loaded along with them on a plane going several states away. That wouldn't be the last time either; in her 18 years of life Aria had attended 7 schools, 2 daycares and lived in 10 different places she called home.

It was another four years and 3 moves before she truly began to understand how she differed from her peers. They had all long ago giving up imaginary friends, but her exclamations that hers were real made her an outcast. It took until she was 11 years old with another two more abrupt moves to realize that these gifts Aria had been given by her father, though blessings, were a constant reminder of a dangerous world, made more so by the supposed impossibility of her existence. Relationships between humans and Shadowhunters were forbidden and since there had never been a child born of the two there was no telling how this world would react to her. Because even though Aria was part human and part Nephilim, she had all the attributes of a full Shadowhunter. She was strong, fast and agile; possibly the only child on the playground who never skinned her knees. There had been no dilution of the Angel blood in her veins.

But that didn't mean that they stopped moving; there were times when a Downworlder or passing Nephilim seemed a bit too interested in the seemingly average girl waiting in line with her groceries. From her 11th birthday to present day she attended three more schools. As they sat on whatever mode of transportation her mother had picked she would pull Aria close, and whisper softly to what she believed was her sleeping form, "My little miracle. How could anyone want to hurt my little miracle?"

It was on one of these trips when Aria truly realized what these words meant. While her mother saw a beautiful miracle, she was scared others, Clave, Circle, Downworlders or Demons would see an abomination. And so to protect her daughter she came up with The Plan. Two medium sized army duffle bags were kept under each of their beds. First just filled with clothes, Vivian had added a spare computer and phone, passports, pepper spray and approximately five thousand dollars in cash. "If something happens" her mother would say, "You take these bags and run."

"'Where am I supposed to run to?" Aria had asked. "To London, to the Institute there. Go to your Aunt Amelia; she'll take you in and you can wait for me there."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Aria scrubbed at my teeth, eager to rid herself of the taste of the delicious Orangina mixed in with grilled pork and vermicelli noodles. The food sat heavy in her stomach, making her tired as she followed dim lamplight towards her mother's bedroom, squeezing through the slightly opened door and collapsing beside her. Aria rolled towards her, yawned loudly in her mother's face and stealing her pillow to place her own head on. "Goodnight mom." Her mother wrapped her arms around her and held tightly, and Aria relished in the feeling of her mother's arms around her. There is no place safer for a child than her parents' arms. "Goodnight sweetie. I love you." "I love you too." And then they rolled away, snuggling their backs together so they could enjoy open breathing space as they drifted off to sleep.

Aria woke the next morning to an empty bed, and a note on the side table from her mother that she'd gone to work, would be home in time for supper and would Aria please make something for dinner. Stretching her arms above her head and her legs down to the edge of the mattress she rolled over to face the clock, squinting and blinking her eyes owlishly until she was able to make out the red digital numbers that told her it was 10:09 in the morning. She contemplated staying in bed for a bit longer before she realized that for the first time in quite a while she had nothing to do today; with school finished for the past two months, and her job as a Starbucks barista recently ended (because there was only so long someone could spend their days making coffee for other people, and at two years she figured she'd done her time) Aria decided she'd prefer to be outside, enjoying a day free of responsibilities.

Slowly she rose from the bed and meandered her way down the hallways towards her own room, pulling open several drawers and turning on her music. Pulling on a pair of blue jeans she added a loose black T-Shirt and bright red flats, plaiting her hair on each side and putting in small gold earrings to match her one piece of constant jewelry; a gold necklace upon which hung her father's golden wedding band. Her mother still wore her own, but as Aria grew older and craved a father figure in her life her mother passed the special piece of jewelry on, as a reminder that though he was gone, he was still present in their lives. Fingering the necklace as she swayed to her music, some present day pop she enjoyed while readying herself she applied a light coat of make-up, blush, mascara lip-chap. Then she was grabbing a dark blue blazer and brown shoulder bag as she exited the apartment.

Aria took her time going down the 7 flights of stairs, trying not to glare at the "Out of Order" sign posted on the elevator on each floor. When she finally left the building she took in a deep breath of air, simply standing on the pavement for a moment to take in the smells of the city; gas, salt and a strange mixture of several different ethnic foods. Shaking herself from her own personal game of smell identification Aria began walking towards the nearest Starbucks, approximately five blocks away, and was thankful that she was in Miami, because there was no hint of an autumn breeze in air. Still she was thankful when she entered overpriced but delicious coffee shop almost an hour after she'd first woken.

Stepping up to the counter Aria ordered a large, or venti, coffee with cream and sugar before taking a seat by the window, where she could finish her drink while people watching. She'd been sitting for ten minutes when she felt the hair on the back on her neck begin to rise, and a tingle built in her shoulders. Nonchalantly looking around the café she spotted a man, mid to late thirties watching her over his newspaper, and as they made eye contact he smiled, seemingly embarrassed and picked up his newspaper. Aria hesitantly smiled back before turning to look out the window once more. Now tired of staring at passerby's she stood, slinging her bag over her shoulders and picking up the still warm drink. She hopped on a passing bus headed towards the downtown metropolitan area, managing to squeeze in right before the doors closed. With no seats available she stood by the back door, her back pressed up against the flimsy plastic that divided the front section of the bus from the back. In thirteen stops and twenty eight minutes later Aria was once again squeezing through the throngs of people before the doors closed on her. She still had several hours before she should return home to make dinner, so she wandered into several clothing stores with the intent to spend the time window shopping.

Of course she managed to do more than look, and two hours since entering the first shop had already purchased several items, including two books, a blue knit beanie hat, a cute blue button-up dress, her personal favorite, and a small leather backpack. Looking down at the items in her hands Aria decided she should finish shopping for the day, so she left the shopping district, hopping on another bus to take her home. This time there were seats available, and she sat, grateful for the chance to rest her legs. Placing her bags beside her she glanced at the other passengers; a mother and her sleeping child, two elderly women chatting away to themselves, and way at the back sat a middle aged man, mid to late thirties. Turning to glance out the window Aria took a second glance at the man, realizing she'd seen him earlier today while drinking her coffee; and while she knew that coincidences entirely possible, Aria knew that they were not necessarily plausible, and so she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, centering herself. Opening her eyes once more she looked at the man through the reflection in the window, and had to stop herself from jumping out of her seat.

Now she focused, she could see past the glamour that surrounded him, could see the ugliness beneath his seemingly normal façade. He had no eyes, only gaping holes through which shadows leaked, and where an ordinary mouth once was there were sharpened teeth, razor sharp aligned in a row. The hands that had rested on his lap showed talons where his nails had been, and his once healthy skin was now sallow. It took all of Aria's will power not to run screaming off the bus, but she held herself together. She waited another two stops, but three before she would normally get off, and at the last second casually hopped from her seat and slipped off the bus, and as it drove away she could see the demon looking back at her.

Aria took another two buses to get home, walked three blocks and took a cab. Perhaps she was being paranoid, she saw Downworlders all the time, but… something in her felt trouble was coming, and like the saying goes, she would rather be safe than sorry. When she finally entered her building, made her way up the seven flights of stairs, she opened the door to her apartment and collapsed on her couch, breathing in and out deeply. She only rested for a minute before closing every window and set of blinds in the apartment, feeling paranoid but justified as she did. When she was done Aria began to ready dinner, trying to regain a sense of control from the craziness that had been the last hour and a half. She had very little time until her mother would be home for dinner, so she threw water onto boil and gathered the necessary items for a salad. As she waited for the water she walked to her bedroom, dumping her bags on her bed for a moment before sorting them. She transferred the items from her satchel into her new bag, including the hat and placed the books on her bedside table. She looked around for a place to put the dress before she sat down on the floor, reaching beneath her bed to pull out the duffle bag. Aria stared at the dark material for a moment before tossing it in. When everything in her room had been righted she went back to preparing dinner, as though her day hadn't been touched by shadow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

By the time her mother did arrive Aria had not only completed dinner, but managed to school her features and emotions into a calm mask of indifference. She knew she should tell her mother what she'd seen, and how many times she'd seen it, after all her mother was still human, she didn't have the sight that Aria did. If she didn't tell her mother then Vivian would be helpless, but if she did tell her… they'd have to leave again. Sure Miami wasn't anything special, but they liked it here.

Just like the night before there was the sound of a key turning in a lock, and her mother walked in, looking less rumpled with no heavy bags to weigh her down. As she placed her purse on the counter and breathed in the scent of pasta with canned spaghetti sauce she gave her daughter a once-over, glancing from head to toe, looking over at the closed window, back to Aria and finally smiling. "Hey sweetie. How was your day?"

"Fine. I just went window shopping, grabbed a coffee. Nothing really out of the ordinary." She placed forks next to each plate as she spoke, sitting at their island counter and taking a sip from the glass of water beside her cutlery. "Sounds like fun. Nothing interesting at work today, just paperwork." No matter the city they were in, Aria's mother could always find herself a job as a secretary, and she wasn't just good at her job, she enjoyed it. She said that something filing paperwork, typing out instructions and printing pages made her day. She was a typical human, but she was happy.

"Well at least it wasn't crazy hectic then." She pierced some noodles on her fork, placed them in her mouth, and smiled at her mother. She could feel the guilt weighing in her stomach, but she still said nothing. Instead she scooted forwards in her chair, picked her fork back up and continued eating her dinner.

One plate of pasta, one bowl of salad and two glasses of water later mother and daughter stood at the sink, washing and drying the dishes. There was a dishwasher in the apartment, a functioning one as well, but it was a firm belief of her mothers' that some things needed to be done by hand, and to do otherwise would just be laziness. So her mother had her hands in the soapy duds, passing Aria sopping dishes to dry with a close to sopping towel. As she was reaching high up on her toes to place the glasses in their proper cupboard she felt her spine stiffen, every nerve ending in her body straining. She lowered her body back down, cups still in her hands as she turned around and stared at the suddenly weak looking door to their home. "Mom." Her voice was low and tight and it caused her mother to stop her cleaning in an instant and look at her daughter with great respect and wariness. "What is it?"

"Did you lock the door?"

Her mother didn't even need to answer before Aria knew and then the glasses were smashing on the floor as she rushed across the room, slamming her body into the door and swiftly turning the lock. Breathing deeply she stepped back and waited, every muscle coiled to spring. For a moment there was nothing, then soft footsteps coming down the hall to stop outside the threshold. The rusted handle turned slowly as she took another step back, then stopped. There was total silence for a moment before the sound of crashing against wood, and two small feminine shrieks that only seemed to fuel the attack against their door.

Aria whirled around, her eyes searching the apartment before she dashed towards the living room and the blue armchair and matching loveseat. She wrapped her hands on the sofa first and pulled, hauling the piece of furniture and bracing it against the door in a matter of seconds. The legacy of Shadowhunter strength didn't fail her as she went back for the chair and with grunts of effort, and her mother's help, lifted it on top of the couch. The banging still continued but they'd bought themselves several minutes, which her mother made full use of.

"Into your bedroom now! Grab your bags!"

Her lips touched Aria's forehead and she could feel her mothers' body shaking. "I love you." She whispered, shoving her daughter towards her room. "I love you too." Then her mothers' gone and she threw herself onto the floor in her room, pulling her things from beneath her bed for the second time that night. She lifted them up, slinging the leather bag on her back and lugging the duffle back into the ran towards her mothers' bedroom and helped her grab her things. The sound of slowly splintering wood filled the apartment, constantly keeping them aware of the impending danger.

Her mother pulled her towards the kitchen, grabbing the duffle from Aria's hands and throwing it outside the window, hearing the clang as it landed on the conveniently placed fire escape. Her mother stepped back and watched as her daughter climbed onto the counter, swinging her legs over the windowsill and jumping down onto the grated metal. Aria looked back at her mother, extending her hand to help her through, only for it to hit cool glass as the previously open window slammed down. Her mother stood on the other side, leaning over to lock it. "Mom!" She yelled out. "Mom, what're you doing?!"

"I'm sorry, Aria." Her mother's head shook back and forth as she stepped away, putting her fingers to her lips and kissing them, pressing them towards her daughter. Her lovely, strong, beautiful girl. Her miracle. "Mom no!" She cried out, dropping her bags and trying to open the window. "Sweetie no. You need to go." Vivian went to turn away but Aria's anguished cry stopped her. "Mom please." Her whispered plea was broken and choked with tears and she reached out. "No baby. I can't come with you. I'm sorry Aria, I'm so sorry. I love you. I love you so much." Their hands matched one another's on the window pane as salty tears streamed down their faces. It took all her will power for Aria to nod her head and step back, to not sob and wail like a child as she saw her mother's relieved but heartbroken face. She couldn't understand what was happening, couldn't make sense of the situation. "I love you Mom."

She watched her mother attempt to smile at her before she yanked the window curtains shut, and with a choked sob Aria turned away, leaning down to pick up the duffle bag and throw it over the side, hearing it land in the alley below. She was thankful now that she'd taken the time earlier in the evening to place all breakables in the leather bag along with her passport and cash. Then she began to run down the zig zagged staircase, seven stories she ran down, feeling the evening wind whipping at her clothes and biting at her skin. There was an autumn wind in the air now.

She jumped the final section of metal stairs, landing hard on her knees as she scrambled for the sturdy green army bag that had clearly done its duty, because there wasn't a tear in sight despite the drop. She hauled it onto her back and began running down the lamp lit streets as dusk turned to late night. After five blocks of running Aria finally spots a cab and is thankful that it spots her too as she jumps in front of it. The cabby stares at her, as though trying to decide if he thought she was trouble or she was running from it, before nodding his head and letting her in. "Airport please"She told him, before all the air was gone from her lungs. Forty-five minutes later with a surprisingly held together passenger, the taxi rolls in front of the airport, and its driver takes his due from a ridiculously large stash of money. "Thank you" Aria mutters, grabbing her things and stepping back out into the night air. For all her mothers' talks of plans, her fears Aria had never really believed that something would happen, that someone would come to hurt her.

She realized now that was her biggest mistake, and one she would hold for the rest of her life.

Aria stepped through the automatic doors, her eyes scanning for the nearest restroom to duck inside. As she entered the empty lavatory she threw her bag on the floor, reaching in to pull out the oversized chocolate brown leather jacket her mother had given to her father when she was one. She pulled it on, wrapping it around herself to gather the warmth it always seemed to contain. When she was warm enough Aria gathered her rib-length dirty blonde hair into a pony tail and splashed water on her face, trying to remove the redness around her eyes. She was moving in a haze because she knew if she stopped to think her world would come crashing down, and she would crash with it. she left the bathroom and tried to walk confidently towards the ticket counter. "Hi there." The older woman smiled happily at her, her graying hair was pulled back to reveal kind hazel eyes. "Hi…" Aria tried to smile back. "How can I help you?" "One ticket to London please." "Return?"

She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "No thank you."

Aria gave her the duffle bag and paid, appreciating that the woman said nothing about the thousand dollars in cash she used. "Your flight is at 9:00am, direct to London Heathrow." She smiled and nodded her thanks, deciding to make her way through security now before finding an open Starbucks. She ordered the largest coffee they had, her motions almost robotic as she added three spoonful's of sugar and enough creamer to make the drink resemble a Caribbean native. And then Aria sat back in one of their large cushioned black chairs and waited for what would happen next.

There wasn't even an open window she could get to.


	5. Chapter 5

Aria entered the majestic room and sat on one of the lush brown couches, marveling at the extensive amount of literature held on bookcases, shelves and piled atop tables. It was possibly the most beautiful place she'd ever seen, but it made her eyes hurt to look, she was so overwhelmed. Amelia stood in a corner pouring water, and while her back was turned her niece took the opportunity to study her. She had aged from the pictures her mother had shown her, but she was still beautiful with her willowy figure, the same hazel colored hair as her father but lighter, with kind grey eyes. Tall and straight backed she held herself with pride and confidence, and looking at her Aria had the distinct sense that she could be trusted. As she walked towards her Aria accepted the water with a smile, holding it in her hands in hopes the coolness would calm the sweatiness of her palms.

The silence in the room was broken by the door opening, revealing the two boys from the doorway and two other girls who stared at Aria in confusion. Behind them was a middle aged man looking from his wife to the girl on the couch several times before his eyes slightly widened, and he seemed to grasp the situation. He went to steer the group away before Amelia speak. "No Henry. They might as well stay, if they don't hear now they'll hear later. Unless-Do you mind if they stay?" She spoke now to Aria, who simply shook her head no. "Alright then." That appeared to be the signal for everyone to sit down, which they did on various couches, chairs and arm rests, while Amelia and Henry, whom Aria was beginning to suspect, judged on the way she held onto him, was her husband. The only one who remained standing was the eldest of the teens, Aria's age or a bit older, who leaned against a bookshelf, his hands resting in the back pockets of his dark wash jeans. His dark chocolate brown hair was emphasized by his deep red T-Shirt, and he stared almost unblinkingly at Aria, with what her mother would have described as 'soul-searching' brown eyes to 'happily drown in'.

"Alright. I suppose we should start with introductions. Aria, you already know my name. This is my husband, Henry and our three children, Matthew, Sara and Riley." As she spoke Amelia pointed to the subjects of her speech; Henry, the slightly greying black haired man with hazel eyes, Matthew a boy slightly younger than Aria with a mix of his mothers' hair and fathers eyes, black-haired blue eyed Sara and the identical Riley. "Their twins." Aria whipped her head over to the deep voice, Henry. "Sara and Riley are twelve, Matthew is thirteen." He continued, smiling over his wife's head as she nodded her appreciation. Her eyes wandered to the other boy as he explained to her his presence. "He's not part of the family, not by blood anyway." He smiled over at the boy who rolled his eyes as a small smirk played on his lips. "That's-""Liam." The boy spoke up, introducing himself in a deep tenor. "He's nineteen, just moved here. He's helping us with the-"Henry cut himself off, looking to his wife, who simply shrugged, neither sure if their newly found niece fully understood their world.

"The Downworlders." Aria answered. "My-"Her throat closed, and it took several seconds before she could make it work again, during which time everyone looked away. "My mother told me. I know all about them. And demons. And Shadowhunters, and Idris." Her aunt and uncle were seemed relieved, but Aria could tell the rest were puzzled. "Mom." One of the twins spoke, but she couldn't tell which. "Care to explain?" Amelia looked as though she didn't know how, but she leaned further into her husband and began to try. "This is Aria. My brothers' daughter, and you're cousin." Before any protests or further questions could be asked Amelia held her hand up, signaling for silence and attention. "I never told any of you this because-well because frankly Aria I never thought I'd see you or your mother again. When she left-that doesn't matter. When your Uncle Richard was twenty he was travelling outside Idris, where he met Vivian. They fell in love, married and had Aria. This was three years before the Uprising, and they kept it all a secret. After Richard… after he died they left, and I never saw them again." Amelia finished, holding her hands together. "But why was it a secret? And why did they leave?" Matthew asked, looking from his aunt to his cousin, the new thought making him jump a little.

"Because my mother was a mundane." Four sets of eyes bore into Aria, but she held her head up and stared back at each of them until three sets turned away; the fourth she held the longest until he nodded and moved from his spot against the bookcase to sit on the armrest of the three children. "She ran because she was afraid. She knew what she and my father had was against the rules, and she didn't know what they would do to me. If your Clave would take me or if the Circle would come after me." "But why would they? You aren't a demon!" One of the twins again, looking confused. "I mean I know they were evil but not like that." "Because I'm not supposed to exist." Aria answered, feeling sorry at the contrite look of shame on the younger girls face.

"That's not true." The deep tenor again, Liam. "Sure Shadowhunters and mundanes aren't really supposed to be together, but it's not because we're racist. There aren't many of us left, even more so now; we need to keep our line intact, or demons are going to overrun the world. Our gifts would be lost."

"What gifts? You mean the Sight? Because let me tell you it's a curse. I mean sure being agile and strong is nice and everything, it comes in handy, but its not like I'm Wonder Woman." Aria stopped her mini rant before it could be classified as a tirade, and noticed everyone staring at her, even more oddly than they had been before, not that she understood. "How is that possible?" Amelia turned to shush her husband, but he stood up coming towards Aria, who shrank back ever so slightly into the couch. He stopped a few steps away, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. He stared at her for a long moment before Liam spoke up. "She dented the door." He directed his comment towards the man he considered a second father, who looked over at him in acknowledgement before returning his gaze to Aria. "Incredible." He whispered.

"Enough!" Amelia stood, grabbing her husband's arm and pulling him back before he could speak again. "For Raziel's sake Henry we don't even know why she's here, and you want to start discussing her genetics?" At the mention of the reason for her unscheduled visit Aria's hands started shaking, and she was trying to stop the water from tipping over when a large pair of warm hands cupped her own, steadying her grip. She looked to see Liam knelt in front of her, and watched as he said nothing but kept his face expressionless as he took the drink and placed it on a coffee table behind him, ignoring one of the twins' muttered comments about a coaster. He stood up slowly and sat at the opposite end of her couch, as her eyes followed him, finding it easier to focus on his eyes than the memories playing behind hers. "Aria?" She forced her eyes away to stare at her aunt, blinking as she looked at the face she'd decided could be trusted. "It's not that we don't want you here, it's just-what happened? Why now?"

It took her a few moments to understand the words, exhaustion beginning to take its toll on her body, almost twenty-four hours without sleep now, but she repeated them in her head until they began to make sense, and she thought she could answer. "We were attacked. My mother, she did everything to keep me safe. Every time she thought I was in danger, we moved. We'd go somewhere safe. But she told me if anything did happen, I should come here. She said you'd be here, or someone here would take me to you." Aria took a deep breath, reaching up to wrap her hand around her father's ring, drawing strength from it. "But she can't see them, so I'd tell her. Nothing ever happened. But yesterday I was getting coffee and I saw this guy. And then, I saw him later, and she taught me that coincidences don't exist, so I looked at him harder, and I saw him." When she spoke it sounded like a recording of her mother's words, in the same hurried and fearful tone. "He was a demon, with claws and razor teeth and black holes for eyes. And when I went home, I didn't-I didn't tell her. And then someone was banging at the door, and I don't know if it was him but it wasn't human, and she made me leave. She wouldn't come with me. But our plan was that we would meet here." Another steadying breath and she could finally look up, into the shocked and sympathetic faces before her, the newest members of her family. Her aunt came forward, squeezing into the space between Liam and Aria and pulled her close, running her fingers through her hair and whispering reassurances. She felt a large hand on her back, and looked up to see her uncle. Her cousins-strange to think of them as that-had moved to surround her, unsure of her as they were they recognized her as family, and that was something they would always be sure of. Liam had moved from his place on the couch and was pacing a section of the room, talking on his cell phone. "I don't care if you've got other things going on Blackthorn; get a couple of your people down to-"He cut off, turning to look at Aria. It took a moment for their eyes to meet, because he didn't want to interrupt. When they did, he asked her where her and her mother lived. "Miami. 101 18th street." "Miami. Get Mark and Helen to go. They need to check out 101 18th street; I want to know what happened there, who did it, and whose left. We're looking for someone, Vivian. Tell her-""Window." Aria cut in, leaning forward to look at Liam as everyone broke apart, the twins and their brother to find something for lunch, Amelia and Henry off somewhere. "Tell your people to tell her window. Yea, window. Just do it. Call me later. I appreciate it. Thanks." He hung up the phone and looked around and realizing that they were now alone.

Aria stood, reaching for her water for the first time since it had been given to her, taking her time swallowing the cool liquid. When she was done she straightened, and looked over to Liam, not sure what to do now. He sighed and motioned to her, putting his hands back in his pockets. "Come on, I'll take you to your room. You can change and stuff, sleep if you want to. You can have something to eat whenever you want." She nodded her assent and followed closely behind in, taking her time to examine the Institute as she did. The ceilings rose high above their heads, and the stone walls were covered in beautiful tapestries, which depicted the moons and stars, along with strange looking symbols. Within a few moments walking down the large hallway they turned into a little alcove, which had a small door they entered, and Aria had to stop from gasping.

The room was extremely large; big enough to hold what she presumed was a queen sized bed, a fireplace, rocking chair, bookcase, desk and trunk. But what she noticed first was the set of large double windows, complete with a window seat covered in lush red fabric. She walked towards it in a slow daze, looking through the clear glass to see a garden courtyard below. Aria went to open the lock, but it was jammed. She fiddled with for a few moments, but it refused to move. She was ushered out of the way by Liam who jiggled it left and right a few times, before it magically opened. "Thanks." She smiled at him before hopping up on the seat. "No problem. Just come out and holler when you want food." He nodded and left, shutting the door behind her, and finally allowing Aria to breathe.


End file.
